WTA Members

Tax Freedom Day is the day when a nation as a whole has earned enough money to pay its total tax bill for the year. It is a useful way of representing how large a nation’s tax burden is compared to the size of its economy.

Following the success slightly over a year ago of the satirical “Coalition of Obsolete Industries” campaign going internationally viral, The Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance has produced a sequel!

The sequel targets a proposal by the Victorian State Government to impose a $2 tax on all rides to fund a bailout of the taxi industry followed by the introduction of Uber and features people in costume calling for new taxes to bail out town criers, the telegram industry, horseshoe makers etc. A tax on tires to bail out the horseshoe makers etc.

One thought I would like to leave with you is that direct marketing to be successful is almost more mathematics than creativity. Keeping track, analyzing the results on different files. So when working with a consultant on this or hiring someone – rather get the careful, mathematically-oriented person than the brilliantly creative one!

Ben Case has had a long series of tips on “How to build a major gift culture.” The last of six well-developed points is The Power of Asking. The biggest reason people do not donate is because they are not asked!

Hans Rosling was a worldwide celebrity because of his enthusiasm, ways of making complicated questions understandable, constantly showing how the world is improving in the face of pessimism. He was encouraging people, lifting them to new levels of understanding, hope and involvement. He passed away too early and will be missed by the many of us who believe in a better future, a humane world. A professor of the old tree, demanding, teaching but living in the new world with constant hope for the future. You can learn from him and share his heritage on his website: http://www.gapminder.org/.

It was my great pleasure to attend the Liberty Forum put on by Atlas Network in Miami in September where I met with new UK TaxPayers Alliance Chief Executive John O’Connell; Marusa Pozvek of the Slovenia Taxpayers; Krunoslav Saric from Lipa in Croatia; Lorenzo Montanari from Americans for Tax Reform; Tim Andrews of Australian Taxpayers Alliance and for the first time Jose Beteta of Respect for Taxpayershttp://respeto.pe/ from Peru. Much work needs to be done developing taxpayer groups in central and South America so it was of particular interest to meet Jose. Congratulations to all of you on the great work you are doing!